Clutch for drawing and straining wires



(No Model.)

. J. s. HICKS. CLUTCH FOR DRAWING AND STRAINING WIRES. No. 601,207. I Patented Mar. 22,1898.

2 V MI WITNESSES 2 p 0pm r 7 A 7'TOHNE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JOSEPH S.IIIC K S, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

CLUTCH FOR DRAWING AND 'STRAINING WIRES.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,207, dated March 22, 1898.

' Application filed J'uly30,1897. Serial No. 646,505. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH S. HICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, Hudson county, New Jersey, have in;

vented certain new and useful Improvement-s in Clutches for Drawing and Strainin g Wires and forILike Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a self gripping clutch or tool for' general use, but one especially adapted for seizing and straining continuous Wires, such as trolley-wires and electrical conductors generally; and the object is to produce a simple, inexpensive, easily-operated gripping-tool, which may be readily applied to a continuous wire and which will grip the wire with a force due to the pull or strain thereon. r

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the clutch shown as clamped on a wire, and Fig. 2 is a front end view of the same as seen from the left in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the separable jaws A and B of the clutch detached. 7

The clutch comprises two separable jawsnamely, a lever-jaw A and a seating or fulcrum jaw B, these two jaws being loosely coupled or linked together at the ends of their handles or stems by links 0, coupled to a drawing ring or link D.

The cam-jaw orgripping-jaw A has fulcrum-journals a a on the sides of its head, a

handle or stem a and a cam-face a, Fig. 3,

eccentric to the fulcrum-journals and provided with a groove (1 to receive the wire a:

- in clutching it.

The seat-jaw B has two hooks b in the nature of cheek-pieces, which loosely embrace the head of the jaw A and form open fulcrumbearings for the fulcrum-journals a a on the rated from the jaw B; but they will always be coupled loosely together at the ends of their handles by the links 0 and ring D.

In operating the clutch or gripping-tool the workman takes a jaw in each hand and bringing the two together on the wire rope or the like hehooks the fulcrum-journals a on the jaw A into the hooked open fulcrum-journals b on the jaw B. Then by bringing thehandles of the jaws together or toward each other he causes the head of the jaw A to turn slightly on its fulcrum-journals and thus cause its cam-face to clamp firmly the thing grasped onto, the seat-of the jaw B. The ring D may be coupled to ordinary tackle for drawing, and the pull will cause the jaws to grip the wire the tighter.

Respecting the grooves a and b in the respective jaws, these will be by preference of a V form and will extend out to the front ends of respective heads of the jaws, as indicated in the several figures, so as to facilitate the application of the jaws properly to the wire to be gripped and to adapt the jaws to wires of several sizes.

The clutch may be made in different sizes to suit different kinds of work or to-take in any range of sizes of wire, &c., and it may be made of any material desired. I contemplate making the jaws of malleable iron; but the particular metal employed is not material to my invention.

I do not, of course, claim, broadly, a clutching or gripping device which clamps with the pull on the handles, as this is common in icetongs and the like; but

, What I do claim'is- 1. A clutch device suited for drawing continuous Wires and the like, comprising two separable leverjaws, one having a convex cam-face a and fulcrum studs or journals a, a, thereon and the other lever-j aw having a convex seat and two hooks b, b, adapted to engage with and to be disengaged from said fulcrum -studs, said seat being between said hooks, and said clamping-surfaces, studs and ing provided with links or suitable devices for pulling upon the lever-jaws and upon awire held by them, all substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed 15 my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH S. HICKS.

XVitnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Boss. 

